0001|                         HOUSE BILL 765
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0002|     42ND LEGISLATURE - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - SECOND SESSION,
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0003|     1996
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0004|                         INTRODUCED BY
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0005|                        ANNA MARIE CROOK
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0006|     
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0007|                                
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0008|     
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0009|     
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0010|     
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0011|                             AN ACT
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0012|     RELATING TO THE PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE.
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0013|     
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0014|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0015|         .110992.1                     State of New Mexico
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0016|                    House of Representatives
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0017|   
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0018|                    FORTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE
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0019|                      SECOND SESSION, 1996
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0020|   
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0021|   
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0022|                                             February 10, 1996
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0023|   
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0024|   
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0025|   Mr. Speaker:
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0001|   
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0002|       Your GOVERNMENT AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE, to
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0003|   whom has been referred
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0004|   
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0005|                         HOUSE BILL 765
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0006|                                 
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0007|   has had it under consideration and reports same with
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0008|   recommendation that it DO NOT PASS, but that
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0009|   
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0010|          HOUSE GOVERNMENT AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
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0011|                 SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL 765
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0012|                                 
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0013|   DO PASS.
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0014|   
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0015|                                Respectfully submitted,
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0016|   
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0017|   
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0018|   
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0019|                                <u>                                 
</u>    |
<u></u>0020| <u>  </u>                            Lynda M. Lovejoy, Chairwoman
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0021|   
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0022|   
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0023|   Adopted <u>                    </u>    Not Adopted <u>                     
</u>    |
<u></u>0024| <u>  </u>
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0025|            (Chief Clerk)                       (Chief Clerk)
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0001|   
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0002|                      Date <u>            </u>
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0003|   
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0004|   The roll call vote was<u> 11 </u> For<u> 0 </u> Against
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0005|   Yes:          11
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0006|   Excused: None
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0007|   Absent:  None
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0008|   
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0009|   
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0010|                                                              
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0011|     H0765GU1       HOUSE GOVERNMENT AND URBAN AFFAIRS COMMITTEE 
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0012|     
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0013|                 SUBSTITUTE FOR HOUSE BILL 765
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0014|     42nd legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 1996
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0015|                                
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0016|     
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0017|     
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0018|     
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0019|     
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0020|     
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0021|     
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0022|                             AN ACT
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0023|     RELATING TO THE PUBLIC PEACE, HEALTH, SAFETY AND WELFARE;
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0024|     CLARIFYING THE DUTIES OF CHILD SUPPORT HEARING OFFICERS;
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0025|     AMENDING A SECTION OF THE NMSA 1978.
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0001|     
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0002|     BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO:
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0003|       Section 1.  Section 40-4B-4 NMSA 1978 (being Laws 1988,
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0004|     Chapter 127, Section 4, as amended) is amended to read:
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0005|       "40-4B-4.  CHILD SUPPORT HEARING OFFICERS--APPOINTMENT--TERMS--QUALIFICATIONS--COMPENSATION.--
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0006|            A.  Child support hearing officers shall be appointed
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0007|     by and serve at the pleasure of the judges of the judicial
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0008|     districts determined pursuant to Subsection D of this section. 
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0009|     Each hearing officer shall be selected by a majority of the
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0010|     district court judges in the judicial district to which he is
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0011|     assigned.  The child support hearing officers shall be paid
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0012|     pursuant to a cooperative agreement between the human services
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0013|     department and the judicial districts.
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0014|            B.  Child support hearing officers shall be lawyers
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0015|     who are licensed to practice law in this state and who have a
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0016|     minimum of five years experience in the practice of law, with at
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0017|     least twenty percent of that practice having been in family law
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0018|     or domestic relations matters.  Child support hearing officers
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0019|     shall devote full time to their duties, <s>[under the Child
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<s></s>0020| <s>    Support Hearing Officer Act]</s> <u>which may be combined with duties
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<u></u>0021| <u>    as special commissioner or special master as defined or provided
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<u></u>0022| <u>    for in the Children's Code,</u> and shall not engage in the private
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0023|     practice of law or in any employment, occupation or business
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0024|     interfering with or inconsistent with the discharge of their
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0025|     duties as <s>[a]</s> full-time <s>[child support hearing officer]</s>
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0001|     <u>judicial employees</u>.
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0002|            C.  A child support hearing officer is required to
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0003|     conform to <s>[Canons]</s> <u>Rules</u> 21-100 through 21-500 and 21-700
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0004|     of the Code of Judicial Conduct as adopted by the supreme court. 
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0005|     Violation of any such <s>[canon]</s> <u>rule</u> shall be grounds for
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0006|     dismissal of any child support hearing officer.  Child support
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0007|     hearing officers shall be employees of the judicial branch of
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0008|     government and shall not be subject to the Personnel Act.  Their
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0009|     compensation shall be set by the judges who appoint them, but
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0010|     such compensation shall not exceed eighty percent of the current
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0011|     salary for district court judges.
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0012|            D.  Child support hearing officers shall serve in
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0013|     such judicial districts as the secretary deems appropriate
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0014|     considering the case loads and case needs of the state's Title
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0015|     IV D program."
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